Chain-link.



A. S. BIXBY.

CHAIN LINK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. I914.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

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3 mm W60? I ALLAN s. BIXBY, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR To THE NATIONAL IVLALLEABLE CASTINGS COMPANY, or CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

CHAIN-LINK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. t, 1915.

Application filed March 18, 1914. Serial No. 825,450.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLAN S. BIXBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in, Chain-Links, of which the following is a specification,.reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of an embodiment of my invention in the form of a chain; Fi 2 is a plan thereof; Fig. 3 is a detail of on of the links, with portions of the side bars broken away, and Fig. 4 is a detail of an end of one of the side bars.

for chains of such form that each link can my invention, A indicates the side bars and B the pin, having an enlarged central portion or bearing portion 2. Each side bar A has an open recess 3 in its end 4 and an eye or aperture 5 in its other end 6. The ends 6 of the side bars A containing the eyes 5 are adapted to be placed upon the journal portion 7 of the ends 8 of the pin B, so that they will bear against the enlarged portion 2. The ends 8 of the pin are preferably tapered so as to permit a driven or forced fit of the apertured ends 6 of the side bars A thereupon. The ends 8 of the pin B have also surfaces 9, which are preferably concave, and which cooperate with flattened portions 10 in the eyes 5 of the side bars A, to prevent relative rotative movement between the side bars A and the pin B. Each end 8 of the pin B preferably has a flange 11 or other similar means, which prevents the disengagement of the side bars A of one link from the ends of the side bars of a succeeding link when the links are in any operating position.

In assembling a link the eyes'or apertures 5 of a pair of side bars A are placed upon the ends 8 of a pin B and are forced inwardly against the enlarged portion 2,

' and the cooperation of the flattened portions 9 of the pin B will prevent relative rotative movement between the pair of side bars and their pin. When a link has been thus formed as described, it is turned into the position of the link C, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the ends 8 of the pin B may be slid into the recesses 3 of the side bars of an adj acent link, this being permitted by reason of the concaved portions 9 of the pin B, as the mouth of the recess 3 is of less diameter than the larger diameter of the ends of the pin B. When the ends 8 have been seated in the recesses 3, the link is rotated into alinement with the adjacent link, in which position the mouth of the recess 3 will prevent removal and the flanges 11 of the pin B will prevent spreading of the side bars, except when the adjacent link is bent to the extreme angle shown by the links C and D, as shown in Fig. 1.

While I prefer to make the links of three parts, they may all be cast as integral unit links. The three-part link is of especial advantage because its various parts may be constructed with particular reference to the service which each part is to undergo. For this reason I prefer to make the side bars Av of fairly soft malleable iron or of mild steel, because such material is relatively tough as well as having high tensile strength; and I also prefer to make the pin B either of white iron or of steel of suit- ,able hardness, and such as will have proper A link made of Wear-resisting qualities. such metals has strong side bars which are tough and not liable to break and a hardened pin to resist wear of the sprocket wheels. Thus a link which is comprised of several parts can readily be made of different materials in side bars and pin, most suited to the service to which they are subjected which result cannot be obtained Where a linkis cast all in one piece and of one material.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the chain links which I have shown and described herein, without departing from my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A chain link comprising a pair of side bars, and a connecting pin, each side bar having an eye at one end and being hookshaped at its other end, the pin having flattened portions thereon adapted to engage correspondingly flattened portions in the eyes of the side bars and thereby hold the side bars in non-rotatable engagement with said pin, the hook-shaped ends of .theside bars being adapted in one position for the insertion of the ends of a pin of another link, and in another position to hold the ends of said pin in rotative engagement therewith.

2. A. chain link comprising a pair of side bars and a connecting pin, the said pin having a non-rotative engagement with the said side bars, means on the pin adapted to maintain the side bars in separated position, the opposite ends of the side bars having hook shaped portions adapted to rotatively engage opposite ends of a pin of another link, and means for holding the hook shaped ends in rotative' engagement With the ends of the pin.

3. Achain link comprising a pair of side bars and a connecting pin, each side bar having a non-rotative engagement with an intermediate portion of said pin and having at its other end a hook shaped portion, the said hook shaped portion-being adapted to rotatively engage an end of a pin of another link, and a lip on the end of said pin adapted to bear on a side of said hook shaped portion and to hold the link in operative engagement therewith.

4:. A chain consisting of a plurality of links, each link comprising a pin and a pair of side bars, said pin having a central portion and flanged end portions adjacent thereto, said end portions being adapted to receive and hold in non-rotative relation eye portions of said side bars, and also being adapted to receive hook shaped portions of side bars of an adjacent pin and hold them in rotative engagement, the hook shaped portions being adapted to engage said pin in an extreme angular position of said side bars, and flanges adapted to hold said hook shaped portions against lateral movement 1n all operative positions of said side bars.

ALLAN S. BIXBY.

Witnesses H. D. HAMMOND, F. R. ANGELL. 

